Kaddish (poem)
Encyclopedia
Kaddish also known as Kaddish for Naomi Ginsberg (1894-1956) is a poem by Beat
writer Allen Ginsberg
about his mother Naomi and her death on June 9, 1956.
in Paris
in December 1957 and completed in New York in 1959. The poem was published as the lead poem in the collection Kaddish and Other Poems
(1961). It is often considered one of Ginsberg's finest poems, with some scholars holding that it is his best poem.
The title Kaddish refers to the mourner's prayer or blessing in Judaism
. This long poem was Ginsberg's attempt to mourn his mother, Naomi, but also reflects his sense of loss at his estrangement from his born religion. The traditional Kaddish
contains no references to death, whereas Ginsberg
's poem is riddled with thoughts and questionings of death.
was to direct it, but money could not be raised for the project. In 1972, Robert Kalfin
readapted the screenplay for the stage and produced it at the Chelsea Theater Center
in the Brooklyn Academy of Music
. The play explored Naomi Ginsberg's schizophrenic collapse and made use of innovative video for flashback scenes.
There is a detailed description of this production and of behind-the-scenes incidents surrounding it in Davi Napoleon
's chronicle of the Chelsea, Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater
(1991). Kalfin's adaptation was also staged in the Habima theater in Israel, translated by Nathan Zach
and starring Yoram Khatav as Allen and Gila Almagor
as Naomi.
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
writer Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
about his mother Naomi and her death on June 9, 1956.
Background
Ginsberg began writing the poem in the Beat HotelBeat Hotel
The Beat Hotel was a small, run-down hotel of 42 rooms at 9 Rue Gît-le-Cœur in the Latin Quarter of Paris, notable chiefly as a residence for members of the Beat poetry movement of the mid-20th century -Overview:...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in December 1957 and completed in New York in 1959. The poem was published as the lead poem in the collection Kaddish and Other Poems
Kaddish and Other Poems
Kaddish and Other Poems 1958-1960 is a book of poems by Allen Ginsberg published by City Lights Bookstore.-Background:The lead poem "Kaddish" also known as "Kaddish for Naomi Ginsberg ", was written in two parts written by Beat writer Allen Ginsberg, was first published in Kaddish and Other Poems...
(1961). It is often considered one of Ginsberg's finest poems, with some scholars holding that it is his best poem.
The title Kaddish refers to the mourner's prayer or blessing in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. This long poem was Ginsberg's attempt to mourn his mother, Naomi, but also reflects his sense of loss at his estrangement from his born religion. The traditional Kaddish
Kaddish
Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
contains no references to death, whereas Ginsberg
Ginsberg
Ginsberg, Ginsburg, Ginsburgh, Ginsparg, Ginzberg, Ginzborg, and Ginzburg are variants of the same surname.-Ginsberg:* Allen Ginsberg, Beat poet* Asher Hirsch Ginsberg , Zionist writer and philosopher...
's poem is riddled with thoughts and questionings of death.
Stage version
Ginsberg wrote a screenplay based on the poem. Robert FrankRobert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
was to direct it, but money could not be raised for the project. In 1972, Robert Kalfin
Robert Kalfin
Robert Zangwill Kalfin is an American stage director and producer who has worked on and off Broadway and at regional theaters throughout the country. He is a former artistic director of the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the founder/artistic director of The Chelsea Theater...
readapted the screenplay for the stage and produced it at the Chelsea Theater Center
Chelsea Theater Center
The Chelsea Theater Center was a not-for-profit theater company founded in 1965 by Robert Kalfin, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. It opened its doors in a church in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, then moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1968, where it was in residence for ten...
in the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
. The play explored Naomi Ginsberg's schizophrenic collapse and made use of innovative video for flashback scenes.
There is a detailed description of this production and of behind-the-scenes incidents surrounding it in Davi Napoleon
Davi Napoleon
Davi Napoleon, aka Davida Skurnick is an American theater historian and critic. She is a theater columnist for The Faster Times, an online newspaper, and a regular contributor to Live Design, a monthly magazine about entertainment design and designers...
's chronicle of the Chelsea, Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater
Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater
Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater is a book by Davi Napoleon about the onstage triumphs and the offstage turmoil at the Chelsea Theater Center of Brooklyn...
(1991). Kalfin's adaptation was also staged in the Habima theater in Israel, translated by Nathan Zach
Nathan Zach
Nathan Zach is an Israeli poet.-Biography:Born in Berlin, Germany, to a German father and an Italian mother, Zach immigrated to what was then known as Palestine in 1936 and served in the IDF during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War....
and starring Yoram Khatav as Allen and Gila Almagor
Gila Almagor
Gila Almagor is an Israeli actress, film star, and author.-Biography:Gila Almagor was born four months after the death of her father, Max Alexandrowitz, a Jewish immigrant from Germany who was killed by an Arab sniper while working as a policeman in Haifa...
as Naomi.